Newsletter Archive

• From Our Desk to Yours...
• Favorite Photo
• Recipes from The Visual Guide
• Green Opportunities
• Z Recommends...Laptop Lunches
• New Retailers
• The Making of a Healthy Lunch DVD
• What works...Success Stories
• Featured Web site: www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue.asp

From Our Desk to Yours...Reminders

LAPTOP LUNCH PHOTO GALLERY: We've just recently added a photo gallery to our Web site at www.laptoplunches.com/LaptopLunchPhotos.html. If you're looking for inspirational photos, take a look. If you have a photo to share, please email it to us at www.laptoplunches.com/ContactUs.html. Be sure to check back from time to time to see new photos and experience cool, new features.

PRODUCT REQUEST FORM: In response to the large number of people asking "How can I get my local retail store to carry Laptop Lunches?" we've created a printer-friendly request form that you can fill out and take to your local retailer. This new form is available at www.laptoplunches.com/ProductRequestForm.pdf.

GIFT CERTIFICATES COMING SOON: Looking for a convenient way to purchase Laptop Lunch products for friends and family? Laptop Lunch gift certificates will soon be available for purchase on our Web site. You'll receive your gift certificate by email just moments after you order it. It's the perfect last-minute "grab and go" waste-free gift! Keep an eye out for the gift certificate link COMING SOON!

"I'm surprised at how easy it is to make a hearty lunch with the Laptop Lunchbox--we just use dinner leftovers. It's faster than making a sandwich!"

• Hummus-stuffed falafel over iceberg lettuce cups
• "Turkish Salad" (Tomato-red pepper spread)
• Organic baby greens with carrots, tomatoes, avocado, and alfalfa sprouts
• Homemade vegan part-whole-grain spelt brownie with pecans
• balsamic vinaigrette

"This lunch was all organic, from the vegetables, right down to the tomato paste, tamari, cooking oil, herbs, and pasta. I didn't do that intentionally, but I did have all that stuff on hand... that says a lot about the availability of organic products in California now. Even if you're not shopping at farmers' markets, high-quality affordable food is readily available at Safeway and Trader Joe's. I hope we start to see some big changes in the lunches kids bring to school. As a nutrition major, I really appreciate what your company has done to raise the quality of school lunches."

"We are college students--I'm a nutrition & dietetics major and my boyfriend is taking pre-reqs for physical therapy school after graduating from Cal in Molecular & Cell Biology. Thanks again for a great product! This lunch box has really inspired us to make more complete meals for ourselves! I can't wait to order another one soon... :-) "

       --Amie, Concord, CA

Pasta Primavera

Makes 4 servings

• 2 cups Pasta, small dried
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup onions, chopped finely
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
• 14 cherry tomatoes, diced small
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup frozen peas
• ¼ cup frozen corn
• 1 Tbs fresh basil, finely chopped
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese, cut into small cubes
• salt and pepper to taste

Copyright © 2006 by Alyna Personalized Entertainment, LLC.

Fresh Raspberries & Peanut butter Sandwich

Makes 2 Servings

• ¼ cup smooth peanut butter
• 2 Tbs. raspberry jam, 100% pure fruit
• ½ tsp. 100% pure maple syrup,
• ½ tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup raspberries, fresh
• 4 slices whole-wheat sandwich bread

We bought our first Laptop Lunch bento-style lunch box for Z as a Christmas gift. Since she only needs lunch two days a week, we started using hers the rest of the week. Finally, we decided that we each really needed our own, so we ordered two more.

Our most recent Laptop Lunch purchase: Pink for Mom, multicolored (not shown) for Dad. The two of us swapped around parts with Z until we were all satisfied with the arrangement.

Read the rest of the story at:
http://zrecs.blogspot.com/2007/02/laptop-lunches.html

Years ago when our two daughters first began to take a lunch box to school, my husband and I quickly realized what a juggling act homemade lunches could be. Two children with polar-opposite tastes left us preparing two completely different lunches. As the school year wore on, more and more of what was packed returned home untouched, and we both became frustrated.

Then, one day while on a family hike, we settled under a tree for lunch, and that's when we understood. We pulled out our lunch, but our sandwiches were smashed and oozed filling. The crackers were pulverized, and the water was hot. It was the most disgusting meal we had ever eaten - and my husband and I had made it! I was about to make a soggy-sandwich joke to lighten the mood when our daughter said, "This is how my sandwich and water get at school."

From then on, we began preparing a healthy lunch our kids would look forward to eating. We interviewed our children and others, tested new recipes, and studied books on food presentation. Through time and effort, both my husband and I became boxed-lunch experts, and our kids loved it.

After hearing our lunch box success, friends and family began asking for a lunchmaking class aimed at teaching how to make healthy lunches their kids would eat. So a class was created for local parents - and the response was overwhelming. The lunchmaking classes were packed, and there was a waiting list to get in. That's when we discovered that while all parents know healthy lunches are important, most lack the hands-on training necessary to prepare them.

The demand for this type of class became so great, my husband and I decided to produce a step-by-step DVD to teach the seven basic principles for building a healthy lunch. Once released, viewers raved about the simple, easy-to-navigate format of the DVD; our straightforward demonstrations taught them what no cookbook ever could. It wasn't long before we realized we were onto a winning concept and our company, The Visual Guide, was born.

Today, our company is in production on an entire library of DVDs, covering a variety of family-friendly topics. Each video is produced with The Visual Guide's core philosophy in mind: while words may inform, demonstration teaches. Our products are always easy to follow, always hands-on, and always packed with valuable information that can be used over and over again.

1- Plan Ahead - Prepping lunches the night before gives you flexibility and control. If you spend mornings in a mad dash, cramming lunch prep into the chaos, it'll be the first to fall by the wayside.

2 - Include Your Child - Encourage your child to participate in the process. He or she will be more likely to eat whatever you prepare!

3 - Don't Get Discouraged - If your child is not eating wholesome choices at first, that's normal! Overcome resistance by experimenting with ingredients until you find what your child likes.

4 - Make It Fun - Kids are all about fun! One way to make a fun lunch is to cut fruits, vegetables, and sandwiches into shapes.

Check out the DVD for many more ideas.

My mother inspired me a lot. When I was a child, I was lucky. My mother prepared a homemade lunch for me to take to school every day. I wasn't always excited about the carrot sticks or oatmeal cookies; however, her attention to detail made me feel special and loved.

I never truly appreciated what a gift my mom's boxed lunches were until she passed away when I was a teenager. I clearly remember one day, after her death, choking down a generic, school-provided hot lunch while my friend unpacked her mother's homemade sandwich and fresh cookies. It was in that moment that I truly understood the impact a simple act like a homemade lunch can have.

Then and there I made a promise that when I became a parent, I would carry on my mother's tradition of making lunch: a simple gesture of love and caring for my children to take to school. Looking back on how far my family's come, and what an interesting route we've taken to get here, I realize how truly blessed I was to have a caring mother whose homemade lunches not only encouraged me to do the same, but inspired a thriving home-based business that has allowed us to share our talents with the world while still staying home to raise our children. This loving gesture from my childhood has grown over time and now bears fruit of its own. Thanks, Mom.

"My girls were so excited this morning looking at your Web site picking out the color they wanted. Jane, who is nine, even wanted to pay $20.00 of her own money. They are good eaters, conscientious about waste, and happy to learn new things.

"I like your newsletter; I have a newsletter on our school Web site about healthy lunches and snacks and will be happy to share your information as well. Thanks!"

        --Kelly Lively, Maple City, MI

Visit this Natural Resources Defense Council Web page for a detailed analysis of specific FACIAL TISSUE, TOILET PAPER, PAPER TOWELS, AND NAPKIN brands.

• Do the products you buy contain recycled content?
• Are they made with clean, safe processes?

www.nrdc.org/land/forests/gtissue.asp